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Beetles delay TransCanada pipeline construction in Oklahoma

Construction of TransCanada's Gulf Coast pipeline between Cushing and refineries along the Gulf of Mexico has been delayed as the company seeks a permit to continue through the habitat of an endangered beetle.

BY JAY F. MARKS jmarks@opubco.com •
Published: October 23, 2012

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TULSA — Pipeline developer TransCanada's Gulf Coast project has been dogged by protesters in east Texas but its progress in Oklahoma has been slowed by concerns about the American burying beetle.

An American burying beetle is seen in this close-up shot. Energy companies in Oklahoma are going to great lengths to keep from harming the endangered insects while drilling for oil and gas. Photo Provided

Some of the endangered insect's habitat is along the route of the $2.3 billion pipeline being built from the crude oil storage hub at Cushing to refineries in the Houston area.

The American burying beetle has been a troublesome issue for oil and gas companies in Oklahoma for more than a decade.

The insect has been listed as an endangered species since 1989. To ensure the bug's safety, environmental regulations require companies to hire biologists and survey areas for the beetles before they dig in areas where the beetle may be found.

If any of the species are found in an area, biologists must trap or bait them away.

Because the beetles hibernate in the winter, environmental regulations state the insects can be moved only in the spring and summer.

Corey Goulet, vice president of TransCanada's Keystone development, said the company hopes to secure a permit to proceed with pipeline construction in southern Oklahoma soon.

He said the 500-mile pipeline is being built by three crews that started working Aug. 4.

“The Gulf Coast project is vital for America,” Goulet said Monday at the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association's fall conference in Tulsa. “It transports the growing supply of U.S. crude to the GC (Gulf Coast) refiners. It reduces U.S. dependence on Venezuelan and Middle Eastern crudes. And it creates some 4,000 direct construction jobs and thousands of manufacturing and indirect jobs as well.

Goulet said about 170 miles have been cleared along the pipeline's route, with about 130 miles of pipe strung together.